I was listening to Wallace Chapman interviewing Professor David Farrell, from University College, Dublin this morning on Radio New Zealand on compulsory voting which he was strongly in favour of. At one point the discussion veered on to the issue of “none of the above”. I think that this is the key to compulsory voting.

Almost everyone I know who doesn’t vote does so for one of two basic reasons.

The bastards are all as bad as each other. I call this the anti-vote and it expresses as not voting, spoiling the vote, or always voting against the government (ie the vto option).

I don’t know enough to vote.

These are both valid viewpoints as far as I am concerned. I think that they should be options in every vote. Both of them provide an explicit performance measure for all of our political and media establishment about how well they are doing their job.

Lets put them in first and then look at compulsory voting. To force that without an ability for voters to say what they don’t support is daft. Just look at the spoilt votes in aussie politics

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171 comments on “Compulsory voting and an explicit “none of the above””

I remember at Auckland Uni the AUSA election ballots always had a “No Vote” and a “No Confidence” option at the bottom. I really liked that, as it gave you the opportunity to signal whether your lack-of-vote was due to just not caring or actual antipathy.

As much as I used to like O’Rouke, I also think that in some areas he is a dumb fuckwit. That was one of them. Not voting just allows the worst arseholes into power.

My preferred punishment for nonvoters is that they get 6 weeks service. Army basic, old folks home, doing scut work for st johns or the police. If they don’t want to, then they get 6 months of work camp working for their food.

I think not voting in an environment because of what amounts to a fit of childish tantrum in a society where you can change peoples minds peaceably over a lifetime. To be part of a society you carry obligations as well as ‘rights’

Are you going to enforce the rule about anonymity or are you going to pursue some personal dislike of me and shit all over any confidence people might have in having their security protected? Either way, I’m not going to cry about it, but I am screencapping as we go

Good thing I’m not in one of my more suicidal mood swings, but how does it look if you are just going to let people shit all over their anonymity and possibly endanger their careers or personal safety? But hey, if you want a martyr, I’ll give you one.

“Are you going to enforce the rule about anonymity or are you going to pursue some personal dislike of me and shit all over any confidence people might have in having their security protected? Either way, I’m not going to cry about it, but I am screencapping as we go”

As for: “You should know the Standard rules by now on respecting pseudonyms. So it’s not worth trying.”

Which is interesting as I would have scrolled up the thread immediately and Contrarian didn’t have any trouble working it out – is he/she smarter than the rest of you or something? Perhaps I didn’t want to open myself up to more nastiness and speculation than I had to? Hmmm?

Oh damn, this is one of those awful passive-aggressive fugues where you play silly semantic games and feigned obtuseness until your opponent is so worn down they concede you that last word you so desperately crave, isn’t it? Look, you just have that last word, it’s less wear and tear on my nerves. You are of no real interest to me anyway.

…fact is people at the bottom of the heap are so often discouraged and apathetic and negative about their situation that they have gotten into a negative frame of mind and don’t think their vote will make a positive difference to their situation

I do agree with that, but what really did the last Labour govt do for the people on the very bottom? I know they refused beneficiaries Working for Families, didn’t reinstate the previous Nat govts benefit cuts… Hence I could well understand why someone would think voting wont make a positive difference, the very party purporting to represent them seemingly abandoned them when it came to the crunch…

well they can vote Mana or the Greens…in fact I probably will myself…but I do wish Labour well under Cunliffe ( he is a good man), just as I did under Helen Clark( she was a good woman and a very competent politician)…it is way better than the alternative NACT…there really is no valid reason for anyone on the Left not to vote

…but as I say when people get into a negative or unsocial frame of mind they often cant be bothered…hence the need for compulsory voting

Sure it is possible that the none of the above vote would be significant enough that no govt could claim a ‘mandate’ but what would it really mean? No significant changes unless a coalition can claim a true mandate? or would it be a slightly meaningless stat used by the opposition to squeal you haven’t got a mandate in parliament day in day out…

As of right now, nope, better things to do with my time. Having a clear understanding of the system and how its very nature stops us from solving the problems we face as a society is not a very strong driver to go out and pick one completely useless party from another as things stand right now.

I don’t agree at all with your argument Iprent. The left has had a strong anarchist tradition. So like all authoritarians you revert to abuse and labels to justify a position?

I find it morally repulsive to vote in a fake democracy. And no I’m not a being childish or churlish, the fact of the matter is we don’t live in democracy and the best simplest way to oppose it it not to participate. Or would you prefer a more violent approach? I and the majority of anarchist in this country don’t want a violent revolution – we’d like a peaceful one.

I’d even go further to say the authoritarian left is the corruption which hold the people in check. It is this group who think they are so clever which force so many people to vote for the right. The authoritarian left is a festering sore and blight – they should really just go join the right – they act like them in the end anyway.

Rather then this proposed North Korean solution (forced labour camps for non-voters) from lprent, perhaps seats in parliament could be left empty in proportion to the proportion of non-votes. With a 74% turnout in 2011, we would then have 31 empty seats, saving tax slaves a fortune in salaries and perks.

As I always say. What freedom? The freedom to starve? Societies aren’t based on freedom. They are based on cooperation and shared responsibilities. Complex societies are required to keep more than a fraction of our current population alive

Fools who start wanking on about “freedom” are usually noticeable for three things in my opinion.

They are noticeable for their lack of thought on the subject – specifically they invariably want to just make the rules to only free themselves of responsibilities.

They never consider the consequences beyond the second cumming.

Invariably they are personally selfish, usually narcissistic, and notable for their inability to empathise with other people.

The distinction is – as with the AUSA ballots I mentioned above – having an explicit “no vote” or “no confidence” option does allow us more certainty about the numbers of non-voting people.

It’s similar to the way people are now paying more attention to the “undecided” category in poll results. If 20% of the population come out to tick “no vote” on election day it seriously undermines the “we have a mandate to do x, y and z” narrative of the subsequently-elected government (whoever that is).

PB – political parties should become very afraid if a quarter million people start turning up at the polls just to vote “none of the above.” It states very clearly to the entrenched parties that if you don’t start listening to the electorate and start delivering something quite different, there is room there for other parties to come in and take those votes.

What changes if ‘non-vote votes’ register 10%, 20% or 30%? Nothing. So what exactly is the point?

A quarter million no confidence votes is significant pressure for change. Any major political party ignores a message like that at their own peril.

Also, what SR said about undermining the mandate of any given government to take extremist positions like selling off assets etc.

In the AUSA election No confidence always polls extremely well and it doesn’t seem to change much. AUSA’s membership keeps slipping despite membership being free. It’s basically used as a CV filler for wannabe Labour politicians.

Because a vote of no confidence can be counted as that, not as a vote in favour of the remaining majority. New Zealand probably needs it less than the UK or the US who really need to be forcibly pushed into MMP

But those votes are there anyway, in the ‘did not vote’ pile which is published under ‘turnout’.

An election is not an opinion poll. Votes matter, and votes for ‘none of the above’, or ‘no confidence’ need to mean something if they are to be counted. Otherwise there is no point in having them. They cheapen the process. If people want to not vote, then that is their option. If there is nothing for them to vote for, then they can stand and vote for themselves. It’s the system.

Would voted non-votes count towards what, exactly? The MMP list calculation? How would that work, and would it achieve anything good?

Not seeing anyone actually say what difference a strong ‘non-vote’ would make.

The idea that is there is a strong non vote, it would encourage new parties to go after them, doesn’t work. You don’t know why these people are voting no confidence anymore than you know why people don’t vote now. The things you need to do to appeal to them are just the same, and they aren’t happening.

You can’t count them as for or against a mandate, because they have explicitly opted out. All you know is that nothing on offer appeals to them, for some reason or another, and you already know that.

These aren’t undecided’s, they have decided ‘no’, and if that’s legitimate, then the answer is voluntary voting, not forcing them to vote ‘one of the above’.

the issue of “none of the above”. I think that this is the key to compulsory voting.

The second key is to make the ‘none of the above’ vote mean something. Otherwise this will become a one election thing.

By this I mean if ‘none of the above’ get say get 10% of the vote then this should translate into seats – therefore 12 seats will be remain unallocated or unfilled. For compulsory voting to work a none of the above must have the same voting influence as a labour, greens or Nats vote.

I do like the idea of compulsory voting but have never supported the view that you must vote for one of the parties standing.

In ancient Greece (or Rome or some other ancient civilization), people could choose to vote “none of the above”. The proportion of votes for “none of the above” would then be filled by a random ballot of ordinary citizens. So here, if 10% vote none of the above, twelve random citizens are elected to parliament for the next three years. Food for thought.

We could even go a step further where those who don’t vote on election day are assumed to have voted “none of the above”. This would mean the 35% who didn’t vote would be represented by random citizens. It would also give all major parties the motivation to make non-voters vote.

Sorry, but making people do a high profile public job that they don’t want to do, or forcing them to be in Wellington far away from their young kids when they don’t want to be, is going to end up a total fail.

“Sorry, but making people do a high profile public job that they don’t want to do, or forcing them to be in Wellington far away from their young kids when they don’t want to be, is going to end up a total fail.”

But that’s the idea, changing it to count non-votes as votes for a self selected group of candidates would be an even bigger stupid idea.

I would strongly support compulsory voting, with some sort of no confidence, or none of the above option.Would also like to see a threshold/ mechanism that invalidates the result if the no confidence vote meets it. Under the current system, there is no penalty to the parties that profit from disengagement.

Or it can simply mean that “I’m too lazy and cynical to inform myself about politics and rather than discharge my responsibilities and duty as a citizen of this country to vote with care and intention – I’m going to spout some smart-arse aphorism and pretend how clever I am”.

I’ve never missed an election and probably never will, but the idea of compulsory voting just seems wrong to me. I very much see the right to vote as just a right. There’s no corresponding obligation or civic duty beyond the obligation of not to infringe upon someone else’s right to vote.

And I would say there are some good arguments in favour of compulsory voting, but then you look at the countries that do use it and these advantages aren’t really seen.

Is it though? Sure society is better off if more people vote, but those who don’t vote are only causing themselves harm.

In a pure self centered sense, an single vote isn’t going to make a difference. I don’t think there has ever going to an election which was decided by a single vote. Even Bush in 2000 won by around 500 votes. So when people say my single vote won’t change anything, they’re technically correct.

What we need to do is give people a reason to actually turn up on polling day. The Aussies have sausage sizzles and bake sales and the like, all going to charity. I’m sure hiring a few bouncy castles would also drive a few extras to the polls. Little things like this might actually make a difference.

Nope. Those who didn’t vote last election have caused NZ quite a bit of harm through allowing a radical right-wing government in that has sold of our assets and out us deeply in debt.

So when people say my single vote won’t change anything, they’re technically correct.

Voting and democracy are a community action and so it’s really not about single votes. That said, if a few more people had voted in Waitakere last election we wouldn’t have had Paula Bennett in that seat.

What we need to do is give people a reason to actually turn up on polling day. The Aussies have sausage sizzles and bake sales and the like, all going to charity. I’m sure hiring a few bouncy castles would also drive a few extras to the polls. Little things like this might actually make a difference.

Perhaps but then such things will probably drive some people away as well.

I find it amazingly ignorant that some people just assume that everyone is is twisted, miserable, antisocial and/or otherwise mentally and emotionally fucked up as they are and that the rest of us should pander to that as though it were normal or indeed cared.

If people don’t vote, then they have given their right away to affect change. Anyone who disagrees with the main parties could always vote for that party that he/she agrees in some points. There is no such thing as a perfect world. Get used to it and change it with baby steps. But under no circumstance give up the right to vote that has been fought for and paid for with so many lives. These are the fallen NZlanders everybody thinks of at ANZAC day, WW1 veterans etc….Its all hallow if people throw it on the heap because, oooch auchhh no provision for the favorite toy…

well I am sure John Key and right wingers with too much money would agree with you….but beneficiaries and the hard up would be happy to take the money!…it might pay their bus fare and a cup of coffee or tea

Here is a flash mob with Ode to Joy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87qT5BOl2XU
It would be joy if we could get people to take an interest in politics and what is being done to them and for them. How about some flash mob voting street theatre. How about in the month before the elctions there are flash mobs performing all over NZ with a get out and vote for your country message.

I am all for compulsory voting, with bells on as suggested. But for goodness sake don’t any progressive person say not to do it. I am sick of hearing how we can’t won’t needn’t do something about the things ahead of us. We can’t move on on so many things. We can’t even decide to do something about problems around for a long time, and are determinedly retreating from the problems of the now, near future and medium future, we don’t care or dare to look too far ahead.

Let’s give compulsory voting a try, someone suggested over two elections then a confirmation, change or drop. We must have the extras that people here have suggested to make it as fair as possible. It may be just an exercise to make people go to the voting booths (which I endorse rather than on-line) but you have to get them started thinking and doing. We are all drop outs in managing our country sensibly, and I know that will annoy some people, but we would not have the present situation if we had been more aware and active years ago.

In the census I give all the information they require for the statistical data they are collecting. However I don’t give my name, ph number, etc as I fail to see why these are required. I also don’t sign the form. I’ve never had someone come back and tell me to fill it out completely.

Cv
Because they need to react to that and try for something better not sink into apathy, anger, not vandalise what other people have and are trying to do which is what many disaffected people end up doing especially young males., People should have the opportunity to say none of the above if they can see no other reasonable choice but they need to make their voices heard, show that they are very dissatisfied, that they are still thinking and not just accepting what is being offered, or being badly governed or trodden on.

CV
Sanctuary in Open mike 26/5 No.3 has something on the disaffected being drawn to the far right apparently. I haven’t read it yet – no time at present. But this is the sort of thing that was in my mind that getting people to vote would help diminish. Keeping people in mind when elections show significant numbers disaffected would take the sting out of numbers of people being drawn to such parties. And would also keep track of numbers so as to assess the number of potential firebrands.

People should have the opportunity to say none of the above if they can see no other reasonable choice but they need to make their voices heard, show that they are very dissatisfied,

Yes they should have the opportunity to say “none of the above” but forcing them to vote is another matter entirely. These are also people who have often been done over by the system, WINZ staff telling them you must do this you must do that or there will be consequences, ACC staff telling them you must do this you must do that or there will be consequences, now you want to add yet another to that line ‘for their own good.’

Compulsory voting in a supposedly free country is a ridiculous suggestion.

For a start, how would you police it? To enrol as a voter you have to sign a form. Under law, nobody can be forced to sign something they do not wish to sign as that would make it an invalid contract. One of the rules of contracts is that the parties involved must willingly of their own free will agree to the contract. You can’t send someone to jail for refusing to sign a document, that’s the sort of thing that happens in military dictatorships, not in social democracies. That aside, how would the ‘authorities’ even identify non enrolled people? (Maybe send the voting police around to every single house in the country to flush out non-voters)

A vote under duress is not a vote.

Why not just make it so that every non vote is automatically a vote for ‘none of the above’?

This is the sort of crazy idea that makes the left look unpalatable.

If you want people to vote then give them something or someone they want to jump up off the couch and vote for FFS!

Mike S
Don’t be a fool. Talking about a supposedly free country. There is in reality no such thing and can never be. There are rules that we have to obey so that we can live together, and run our society fairly efficiently, we aim for as much freedom as possible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be coerced where necessary. Do try and think and not spout out slogans that are popular amongst the loose lipped, loose minded.

(1) I didn’t vote in 2005. Not because I’m lazy or couldn’t be bothered or was alienated or drunk or confused, but because we were off to the UK / Europe on the day that early voting opened and didn’t have time. And yet for that relatively minor sin, Mr Prentice would apparently have me in Boot Camp for the rest of my natural. Seems just a tad unfair.

Increasing inequality, secret trade and military deals, spying on the citizenry, money for access and no accountability for the corrupt amongst our politicians.

This is what a Princeton University study concluded for the US: No influence can be exercised by the 99 % and politicians are only there as a puppet show to placate the masses while gorging themselves at the trough.

I put it to you that NZ is not that far behind in the 1% takeover coup and the people hereapparently are not stupid. They know they are being screwed by their government and they are walking away from a system that isn’t working for them. I actually think that the people here have spoken loud and clear. Why fucking bother, they’re not listening anyway. Can’t say I blame them. And I have made a point of voting every single election I was eligible to vote in with the same tenasity Iprent still thinks we should vote.

This year I have for the first time in my life decided that I will not do so. Let the bastards win and let them do their worst, maybe then the docile, mistakenly thinking they are part of the 1%, zombies will finally realize they have been had. Nothing like a revolution to freshen things up. The effect of the one in Holland some 355 years ago only recently started wane.

The problem is historically when the amount of calls on wealth (money) are many many times the ability of the society to provide that value in goods and services, the army/police are pressed into action to seize as much wealth as possible for the rich. And it has nothing to do with what you would prefer did or did not happen, and everything to do with how you traded in liberty for complacency. i.e. asset sales of dams was a crime against NZ, climate inaction is a crime against our planet… …the list is long, but in essence the only economic crimes we as a society deal to our crimes to profit.

As to the context. As an Australian, the compulsory system coupled with the proportional system delivers everything party hacks could wish for to continue ignoring the citizens and embracing party tuft wars. Abbott would not be PM under any other democracy system. The OZ democracy is sham, people who do not know shouldn’t be forced to. People who are then ask to vote for someone very likely they never would want, that’s the way it works, you number the politicians and eventually one of the detestable ones gets all the flow on votes too win. i.e. the system is as equally like to vote for the common likeable candidate (rare as they don’t get nominated) as the most commonly detested one.

Every time I hear the word “compulsory” I cringe. To me compulsory represents authoritarianism and an assumption that adults aren’t capable of thinking for themselves.

However, in regard to voting, adding in the “none of the above” and “I don’t know” options is genius.

With this system people are not in the senseless position that the Aussies are in, as aerobubble points out above, but they are compelled to participate, even if it amounts to an anti vote. What an excellent way to monitor public dissatisfaction or lack of basic political knowledge.

The non party voting voters may encourage parties to think carefully about where they could do better or what they need to do to reach people to educate them.

Rosie, i find the negative attitude to compulsory voting as expressed by many including you a bit perplexing,

Reverse up just one step in the democratic process and what do you find, Compulsion, you are required by Law to be a registered voter,

While not entirely opposed on first thought to an option of ”i choose to vote for none of these people or parties, my second thought is ”do we really want to make even more of a mockery of the democratic process and the Parliament than it already in some quarters is”

i would much more prefer that all ballots were run through a data base to find those who (a) did not vote and (b)those who failed to even register, fine them all a suitable amount along with a community service sentence of attending a series of lectures on why the should vote paid for with the monies from the fines…

It’s compulsory anything I’m opposed to, not just voting. (maybe this arises from my oppressive upbringing and when I hear “you must do as I say”, I put the brakes on, who knows!)

One of the appealing things about the two “no vote” options is that it is a perfect way of monitoring the disenchanted and targeting them for education, (seeing the importance of their vote to start with) and the parties can learn from their disaffection as well.

Punishment will not engage the non voters and it won’t create a genuine interest and enthusiasm for the democratic process, it will only make them resentful. It’s that authoritarian BS all over again, and punishment only serves the ones meting it out.

Half the folks I know are non voters and it pisses me off no end. No amount of reasoning and persuasion will move them (except for one young friend in the Hutt South electorate).

If the population were compelled to vote, even if that were a No Vote option they ticked, it would be the beginning of participation for them and it would hopefully trigger to the start of their learning, just by being there in the hall with everyone. That’s half the battle, getting them to that point.

In the meantime the young un’s are doing something about low youth enrolment and voting:

Actually, I think it’s not just about non-voting. It’s a wider issue than that. I have talked to some people who are just not interested in following politics – they can’t understand why I do. They seem to be saying there are more interesting things to do.

Yes, I hear that too karol, from more people than I’d like too. I think, perhaps they just don’t understand that they ARE “politics” because they are members of society and the part they play, ie, voting is hugely important.

I can understand that many people wouldn’t be interested in following politics, but they don’t need to follow it day to day and it doesn’t need to be at the top of their agenda – and I think some people get scared by the idea of “politics” in case they are expected to enter into a complicated theoretical argument at any random point in time.

I wonder if there is an element of apprehension as well as indifference around voting.

Mike, it wouldn’t be the non voting individuals being targeted as such, it’s not some totalitarian democracy boot camp I’m talking about.

Say for example, if we were to go ahead with such a voting system we would look at patterns. Are there areas that have a lower party vote rate than others, are the non vote rates changing from election to election? That is monitoring.

You might look at how to address the issue of non voting. Eg, those area’s that have really low rates of voting, maybe they could have some form of non compulsory free adult community education around how participating in democracy benefits the individual and the community at large.

Maybe Civics could be taught at schools and subsequent elections would look at if that form of education increased voting rates.

I don’t see anything sinister in the words monitoring, targeting and education.

You may not think our low voter turn out rate is a worry. I do and we need to at least look at ways to improve it. Doing nothing isn’t going to help.

And how would this database of yours identify these people who didn’t register? As per a previous post, under law, you can’t force someone to sign anything they don’t wish to sign, so if someone choses not to sign the enrolment form thereby not enroling themselves, there’s not alot you can do. Hence the probably small, (if any) number of people who have received fines for not enrolling to vote.

That aside, you want to force people to vote for a party or candidate who’s policies and ideology they disagree with? If that’s your mindset then why have any votes at all, why not just have a dictatorship.

The fact is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have not benefitted or been catered for or listened to in the last 30 years regardless of which party or parties are in power and regardless of which type of electoral system is in place. These people don’t vote because they are fully aware that their vote makes no difference to their circumstances whatsoever. Fining them for not voting will simply make them worse off and more anti system.

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I'm sure lots of readers (and my fellow-bloggers) could contribute something really awesome to this competition.***********For the second time, the Labour History Project is running an essay competition to inspire debate on alternative futures.In December 2014, an OECD report ranked… ...

My old man used to label us kids as “fair-weather sailors” when we bitched about working outside during bad weather. That phrase comes to my mind sometimes when I come across people who claim to be “sceptics ” (“Skeptics”)… ...

Teina Pora is innocent.The Government, having considered the matter, apparently agrees he should not be re-tried. It is not clear whether the Government agrees he is innocent, but I suspect they don’t.With no re-trial ordered, Pora’s involvement with the criminal… ...

I have to admit, I had some mixed emotions when I heard Clean Reader had been taken off the market. Delight, because the app was ridiculously stupid. Sadness, because it was hilariously stupid. I still think it's worth talking about… ...

Since Andrew Little began his tightrope walk regarding whether Northland voters should or shouldn’t vote Labour, there has been much philosophising as to whether a “dirty deal” did or did not go down. To my mind, quite clearly, no deal… ...

One of the most significant changes John Key made to the Government Communications Security Bureau Act in 2013 was to weaken the protection for kiwi's communications. Previously, the Act forbade the GCSB from doing anything to intercept the "communications" of… ...

Auckland Transport yesterday started the second stage of the Beach Rd cycleway which when finished should finally help to make the first stage as well as the Grafton Gully cycleway useful. The Beach Road walking and cycling project begins its… ...

As reported in The Intercept, a refreshingly frank take on a facet of modern “security” measures in airports: A second former Behavior Detection Officer manager, who also asked not to be identified, told The Intercept that the program suffers from… ...

In the book, Health Cheque, Geoff and I found that in terms of health, prevention is more effective than cure by a factor of four to one. So the Morgan Foundation retains an interest in the issue of prevention, which led… ...

In the book, Health Cheque, Geoff and I found that in terms of health, prevention is more effective than cure by a factor of four to one. So the Morgan Foundation retains an interest in the issue of prevention, which led… ...

Chris Lewis quickly backed down from the suggestion of a dairy moratorium in the Waikato, but environmentalists won’t let it go so easily. The Waikato Federated Farmers president now insists he merely raised the notion as a “straw man” at… ...

Help Is On Its Way: Winston Peters storms home in Northland, but his historic by-election victory has raised a whole new flurry of political questions.IT WAS WINSTON’S FINEST HOUR. The sheer scale of his Northland by-election victory had the… ...

A revolving cast of contributors from the Music 101 and Wireless teams showcase some of the best new music releases from the past week. Rihanna's 'BBHMM'. Rihanna - 'Bitch Better Have My Money' Is there any other pop… ...

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Christchurch Labour Members of Parliament have secured a meeting with Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon following the airline’s decision to cut its Christchurch to Tokyo summer flights. They are also calling on the Minister of Transport Simon Bridges to… ...

Andrew Little has reinstated Carmel Sepuloni as Labour’s Social Development spokesperson following the sentencing of her mother in the New Plymouth District Court today. “It has been a tough time for Carmel, but we both agreed it was appropriate she… ...

Many Kiwis will be wondering if the joke is on them when a raft of Government changes come into effect tomorrow, Labour Leader Andrew Little says. “First is ACC and National’s unwillingness to end its rort of Kiwi businesses which… ...

Labour is challenging the Government to reveal its plans to make housing more affordable through amending the Resource Management Act, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says. “Labour remains willing to consider the proposals on housing affordability on their merits and… ...

John Key has now been forced to admit that he never had the broad political support to gut the Resource Management Act, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Megan Woods. “Cornerstone legislation such as the RMA should never be changed without genuine… ...

The Government must be more transparent around the draft investor state dispute settlements in the TPPA, says David Parker, Labour’s Export Growth and Trade spokesperson. “Labour is pro trade, and is proud of the FTA we negotiated with China, which… ...

The Green Party believes ensuring student and staff representation on university councils is important. National recently passed a law reducing the size of university governance councils while increasing the proportion of the members nominated by, guess who… Steven Joyce. The… ...

“Nick Smith has got to fess up and tell us what is happening to his much vaunted RMA reform, Labour’s Environment spokesperson Megan Woods says. “With just a day and a half to go before the polls open in Northland,… ...

Massive pay rises at the State Services Commission prove National’s claims of clamping down on spending in the public sector are simply fantasy, Labour’s State Services spokesman Kris Faafoi says. “Salaries in this one department are almost $70,000 more than… ...

The Christchurch City Council is seeking public feedback on its proposed 10 year plan for Council revenue and spending. This is probably one of the most significant 10 year plans ever to be written by a local council because of… ...

Labour wants stab proof vests and pepper spray for all corrections officers to keep them safe from the epidemic of serious prison assaults that are occurring around the country’s jails, says Labour’s Corrections Spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “There have been five… ...

Minister Hekia Parata needs to understand what consultation is, Port Hills MP Ruth Dyson says. “It means you have to listen to what people say in their submissions and then be able to demonstrate you have considered their views when… ...

Let’s celebrate and thank our caregivers. This week is caregivers’ week. It’s a chance to acknowledge the thousands of women, and occasional other person, who are caring for the elderly and disabled in our country. They hold people’s lives in… ...

Labour MP for Mana Kris Faafoi has welcomed the move to place the services from the Mana Post shop to a local small business. “This is the best outcome for the community we could ask for. All the vital services… ...

Labour is moving to restore the rights of Kiwis to take tea and rest breaks, Leader Andrew Little says. “Within months of the Government’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill becoming law we are already seeing some of our largest companies, including… ...

At last the UN has spoken out against the widely-used weedkiller Roundup. The UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified glyphosate, the principle ingredient in Roundup, as a probable carcinogen. They also include as probable carcinogens the insecticides&hellip; ...

Our photo journey started by the Waioweka (also known as Waioeka) River which flows from Te Urewera to Opotiki, and is surrounded by beautiful forest. The water looked great! Kopeopeo Canal It contrasted greatly with the Kopeopeo Canal near Whakatane,… ...

As Dyslexia week comes to a close, Dyslexia NZ have reminded us that around 10% of our citizens are dyslexic and are entitled to better support. One of their strongest arguments is that failure to provide identification and support for… ...

Today marks Race Relations Day in New Zealand. Race Relations Day coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The United Nations General Assembly chose this day as it marks the day in 1960 when 69 peaceful… ...

The knife-edge election in Israel complicates the Middle East situation, even more than usual. The Prime Minister-elect, Binyamin Netanyahu, is moving to form a government. Netanyahu has indicated that, during his term, a Palestinian state would not be established. That… ...

The Green Party has a vision of a liveable, accessible Christchurch with a sense of identity and strong connected communities. Instead, 2013 census figures released by Statistics New Zealand reveal a fractured community, and tell a story of frustrated Christchurch commuters… ...

The Green Party is calling on the New Zealand Super Fund to divest their $140 million investment in coal companies that are vulnerable to becoming financially stranded according to a damning new report from Oxford University. The Smith School of… ...

The adage about the first casualty of war being truth is one that might often be applied to the political battle for hearts and minds, and of course votes. A rather unfortunate example of this has been arriving in the… ...

Over the last few weeks I’ve been wondering how safe our income support system is for people, especially those with cognitive or learning disabilities. I’ve been trying to support a young man who was severely injured in a workplace accident… ...

Over the weekend thousands of Aucklanders flocked to celebrate our city’s diverse Pacific communities and cultures at the annual Pasifika festival and the Greens were there to join them. The Pasifika festival has been held every year for 23… ...

It was heartening to see a large number of people who care about the Marlborough Sounds come together at the Marlborough Marine Futures’ forum in Picton on March 8. Fellow Green MP Steffan Browning, who lives in Marlborough, and I… ...

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The government has taken a crucial step in improving the country’s animal welfare laws by announcing a ban on cosmetics testing on animals as part of the new Animal Welfare Act. The ban is a huge milestone victory for cruelty… ...

WELLINGTON (xx March 2015) - New Zealand has joined the growing list of progressive nations to ban cruel animal testing of cosmetics, following a two year campaign by #BeCrueltyFree New Zealand. An amendment to the Animal Welfare Act similar to… ...

The Royal Commission has now been in operation for more than two years. We have completed the public hearings for 25 case studies which in most cases have been concerned with the failure of institutions to manage their affairs to… ...

The responses victims and perpetrators of violence receive from professionals, family members and the wider community are key in generating safety and recovery for victims and accountability for perpetrators. Socially just and effective responses to violence; ...

While most of the country has been focused on the cricket world cup, cyclone Pam and tourists’ driving habits, Closing the Gap www.closingthegap.org.nz is reminding kiwis to say “no way” to the TPPA unless we know and accept what is… ...

As Vanuatu’s schools officially reopen UNICEF and its partners are supporting the Government of Vanuatu to provide assistance to 30,000 school-aged children from early childhood to secondary school level who have been affected by Category 5 Tropical ...

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to abandon its KiwiSaver HomeStart programme and instead tackle the regulatory taxes strangling the housing market. Boosted entitlements to the first home buyers subsidy programme come into effect ...

The University of Auckland’s plans to celebrate the Magna Carta’s 800th Anniversary in New Zealand are well under way. Associate Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment has been awarded a £10,000 grant by the UK Government’s Magna Carta Trust to create ...

An ugly incident of racial abuse on a Wellington bus last week has led to an apology from the perpetrator and expressions of forgiveness from some Kiwi Muslim leaders. “It’s encouraging to see this turnaround in such a short time,… ...